


Sideline Stories: Closing Time (Tori)

by UnicornAffair



Series: Wild Pitch [34]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017), Power Rangers Ninja Storm, Power Rangers S.P.D.
Genre: F/F, Happy Valentine's Day!, Zori
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29417814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnicornAffair/pseuds/UnicornAffair
Summary: It was time Zack cashed in his favor from Valentine's Day to help out his work wife.Takes place between Chapters 27 and 28 of Wild Pitch
Relationships: Amanda Clark/Zack Taylor, Elizabeth Delgado/Tori Hanson
Series: Wild Pitch [34]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/852030
Comments: 10
Kudos: 22





	Sideline Stories: Closing Time (Tori)

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day! This is part two of four of the fics I've written for the holidays. I want to thank everyone for being so patient with me during these long hiatuses. 2020....oof, what a year huh? I'm excited to get back into Wild Pitch but wanted to give you guys a little something with substance before starting chapter 28 of the big big thing. <3

If there was one thing in her high school career that Tori could be proud of, it was earning a manager position at Zedd’s Pizza. A position she had earned on her own, without the help of any of her guys. After the breakup with Blake, her group of friends were dealing with the uncomfortable fallout. The YouTube channel wasn’t as _fun_ anymore. In order to distance herself from the weird vibes, she took more shifts at the pizza place, the extra cash never hurt, and she liked _most_ of her co-workers. Zack Taylor and Sydney Drew were two of her favorite people, the pair always brought good energy to the team. That and with softball girls always around, she constantly had people gravitating toward her. Blake didn’t have anyone outside of NinjaStormX. He was someone that Tori had loved, and still had a place in her heart for, while their romantic relationship would’ve never worked out…she wanted him to still have friends. As much as she missed hanging out with Dustin and Shane regularly, she knew this was for the best.

Tori had proved to Papa Zedd that she was a trustworthy and effective manager, going with the flow and being able to handle any sort of customer service query or accidental mess up. He would even let her close on sluggish nights, something he wouldn’t let his own son do without supervision. On the outside Tori appeared aloof with her attitude but, like her dedication to the softball team, she was a hard worker. Plus, making the pizzas were one of her favorite parts of the job.

Tuesday was famously one of their slowest evenings, and Tori had already let a few of her co-workers go early. Leaving at the end of the evening, her and her “work husband” Zack to do the closing. She knew and understood that no matter how slow, or how boring waiting for a call could be…she had to keep one of her delivery guys around. Zack was the down and out kid who _needed_ the money more than anyone else on the staff. Between Tori and Papa Zedd, the two made sure he had as many hours as he could while still being able to balance schoolwork and baseball season. She was always watching his back.

After the last carry order was picked up, Tori headed to the kitchen with the intention to start turning off the ovens. Only to her surprise, she had company in the form of Zack’s _girlfriend,_ Amanda Clark. The sophomore head cheerleader smiled in the softball player’s direction when she entered, “I wanted to drop by and visit” She was sitting on counter, Zack standing suspiciously between her legs. With it being baseball season, the couple had to be a little more creative on when they’d be seeing one another.

“I hope you don’t mind” Zack’s lips had a hint of sheen, Amanda’s lip gloss no doubt, “We’re making a pizza.”

“I hope that’s not a euphemism for anything.” Tori suggested, her eyes widening, tilting her head as she rested her hands on her hips. Any dirty thought was shut down when the couple pointed to the oven, where in fact, a pizza was baking.

“Gross” Amanda frowned, “This is where Zack _works”_ She wasn’t opposed to some lip locking but she drew the line at going much further at the _pizza shop._

Tori sighed, with the oven being on, they would have to stay longer by default as she had to wait for it to cool off before leaving. “Just be sure to clean up after yourself, okay?” This was _Zack,_ she didn’t mind having to wait around. “…And know at least one of those pieces are mine.”

“Deal.” Zack grinned, “We’ll help you clean up out front in a sec.”

“Sounds good” Tori could get a head start on refilling the salt and pepper shakers, and napkin containers, so on and so forth. That way the teenagers could relax for a bit. Hearing the bell attached to the front door, Tori sighed going back out onto the floor, she didn’t lock up the front yet and a customer had come in. “I’m sorry but we’re…” She trailed off, seeing that the person standing out the counter was Z Delgado. As in, the girl who swept her off her feet at prom and quickly went off into the dark of the night, “Closed…” Tori ducked her head, tucking blonde locks of hair behind her ear, “Hey.”

“Hi, uhm” The soccer striker bit her lip. There was prom, late night texting, so much was up in the air when it came to the idea of _them._ It was all so awkward, and yet… “I’m actually here to see Syd” She rested her hands in her pockets, “We were going to take a late-night swim at Summer’s.”

“She’s not…” Tori frowned, if Sydney were waiting for her friend, why did she so excitedly leave when Tori said she could dip out early? …And why would Amanda be here? The pizza. Zack and Amanda made a pizza so Tori would _have_ to stay longer. Oh! Ohhhh. “Here”

“Huh” Z rubbed the back of her neck, avoiding making direct eye contact with the blonde, “I’m sorry, I can take off if-“

“No!” Tori surprised herself by jumping so early, “No” She said softer this time, “You can stay and hang out if you want, we’re just cleaning up here.”

“Are you sure?” The soccer player had already made a couple of steps back, trying to be polite and doing her best not to get in the blonde’s way.

“Totally, _relax”_ The surfer stepped around the counter, going over to a table to pull out a chair for the other girl, a grin on her face, “Be my guest, drinks are on me” She tilted her head to the side, “Sides, there somewhere else you need to be?”

“Ha, apparently not” Z sat down; she was always so tough at Summer’s right hand. Fierce on the soccer field, anyone at Angel Grove knew when Z Delgado took out her hoop earrings that whoever she was pissed at was in for a world of hurt. Here though, with just Tori Hanson, a girl she had a crush on for _so long,_ she was sheepish and awkward, trying to figure out the right thing to say.

Where does someone go after making a bold move like prom?

“Just give me a sec” Tori on her way back to the kitchen, Tori opened the fridge door to toss Z a free bottle of water. It was the least she could do.

The moment the door closed, and their surprise guest was out of earshot, Tori was quick to scold the couple, “You set me up!”

Zack couldn’t help but laugh as Amanda was the one cutting into their pizza, “I said I owed you one! Syd was all for the idea.” Valentine’s Day. Tori had pulled out all the stops to make Zack and Amanda have an amazing first holiday as a couple, and here he was returning the favor. He had found a way to get Tori and Z in the same room. _Dammit Syd._ “You’re welcome.” He was all too proud of himself for pulling it off.

Tori had taken off her hat, running a hand through her hair, trying her best to make the mess look presentable. “Ah jeez, what am I supposed to do?” She asked, glancing over to the door, behind there was a bomb ass girl who really liked her.

“Hey, that’s what we’re here for, calm down” Amanda shoved the pizza cutter in Zack’s direction, allowing him to finish her handiwork in favor of the cheerleader going over to her purse. She then pulled out a brush for Tori to fix her hair properly. “Just be _you.”_

“What’re you so afraid of?” Zack asked, out of the three people in this room, it was Zack who knew Z the best. She was his first girlfriend, his first kiss…before his mom got sick, and Z---well that girl discovered a lot about herself.

The situation with Blake ended _rough,_ Antonio only used her for an easy cheap thrill, an escape. Z…Z was a bright spot to Tori. A girl that was always around, even when she never really noticed her there. Her knight in shining armor during times she felt her lowest. Tommy’s Halloween Party, the night at the club where Tori kissed (unknowingly) Trini’s cousin, prom. The fellow junior was right under her nose, the girl that sat behind her in class, who always had extra pens when Tori forgot to bring a notebook.

“I’m not _afraid_ of anything…just…how do I begin to _start over?_ ” She asked, with Blake she had gotten to a point of being comfortable, Antonio was someone she knew wasn’t going to last. Z…liking Z….it was new, it made her feel all bubbly inside. Shy smiles, insecurities on blast, the butterflies in her stomach, the two were dancing around their budding feelings. “What…what do I say?”

“Tori, you _got_ this” Zack stepped over, resting his hands on her shoulders, “Just think about how you feel when you’re riding a wave.”

“Mmmm” Amanda squinted, her lips turning upside down in a frown, “Maybe _don’t_ phrase it that way. _”_

“No _that’s_ not…that’s not what I meant” The only guy in the room sighed, taking a second to compose himself, “Sometimes the waters are really choppy, and you’re going to get knocked on your ass, sometimes real deep…but you never let the waves win, you get back on your board…because you know how it feels to be in your element.” He turned her around facing the doors, “Ha, you know what that’s like more than I do.” It was true, Zack was never a surfer kind of guy. With a smirk, and a gentle shove he pushed her towards the swinging door, “And sometimes you just gotta sink or swim in the deep end.”

At the sound of the door swinging open and Tori’s long legs stumbling into the dining area of the pizza shop, Z whipped her head back, just in time to see the Queen of the Dumbass club used her hands and the counter to steady herself from completely crashing. “Ha it’s um…a real wet zone back there” She joked, hating that was the first thing that had come to mind. “Idiot” Tori whispered under her breath, but if anyone knew how to go with whatever was thrown at her, it was #3 of the softball team. “Sorry if I kept ya waiting.”

First things first. She was going to close and lock that damn door.

“It’s okay” Z set down her phone, she was likely sending Syd a storm for setting this whole thing up, “My mom thinks Danny and I are at our ‘church group’.” She was always trying to skate around the issue, her conservative family, they wouldn’t like the idea of Z being out late with a _girl._ A girl she had feelings for no less. Z scoffed, “He’s probably dicking around with his football buddies and his fake ID biz”

Tori knew Danny Delgado’s side hustle well. He and his best friend Max Cooper were the _go-to_ guys for fake IDs. One kiss with Gia Moran earned her a nice discount, and the fake name of Sally Martin. “Ha, yeah, sorry this place isn’t as glitzy as the Landsdowns”

“It’s okay” With a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders, and a lean back into her chair, Z appeared to be perfectly in her element. “I’d rather be here” With Tori. What else mattered?

Zack and Amanda weren’t helping matters when Zack plugged Amanda’s phone into Papa Zedd’s sound system. Z glanced up to the speakers in surprise, while Tori shook her head, trying to stifle a laugh. Mood music, huh? Anything to break the silence lingering in the air around them.

Tori glanced Z over, gears turning in her head, if Sydney lured her in with plans to go to Summer’s pool then it would be a safe assumption to guess that Z was currently rocking a swimsuit underneath her soccer hoodie and jeans. Zack told her that the best way to get the nerves to calm down was to be in her element, well, Tori was going to take that idea literally. “You wanna go for a swim?” She asked, tilting her head, “The lakes not that far from here.”

Z couldn’t help but smile at the blonde’s infectious energy, going out, being brave enough to take risks, those were the many reasons Z was so attracted to the surfer. Tori could _be_ who she wanted to, while Z still had to dance around a closet, walk on eggshells at her own home. Considering Mrs. Delgado wouldn’t allow sleepovers between Z and her best friend Syd, she would _hate_ the idea of Z going late night swimming with the tall blonde shortstop of the _softball team._ “You’re serious?”

“Only if you want…” Tori trailed off, she had to start closing the front of the pizzeria by restocking, and wiping down the tables, floors were always last. “Something tells me you don’t really wanna go home quite yet.”

With the tension building between them since their first kiss, Z slyly grinned in the blonde’s direction, “You’re just trying to get me to take off some clothes, I’m onto you Hanson” Z wasn’t the type to just _sit_ there and watch other people work. Despite not having a job at Zedd’s she assisted Tori by wiping down chairs and then flipping them onto their respective tables. A way to distract herself, and keep her cool while flirting with the hot blonde.

“Ha, guilty” Tori felt her cheeks burning, she had her flirty banter with Antonio sure but that…that didn’t have any weight behind it. Not like this. There was so much uncertainty with Z, they had texted, Tori knew that the other girl harbored feelings for her but there were no talks of _dating,_ of titles, girlfriends. What were they? Tori was excited to test the waters and find out, even if she took Zack’s advice literally. “What’d’ya say Delgado?”

Z took a moment to think about it, to coordinate the details of how she could work into this into her night and make it back home without her parents knowing, “Fuck it, let’s do it.”

The kitchen doors swung open, startling the soccer player in the process, Zack and Amanda had packed the rest of the pizza they had made into a box and set it on the counter. He took his girlfriend’s hand and walked her around the takeout station and onto the main floor, “We’re going to stay a bit longer, we can lock up.”

Tori couldn’t help but be suspicious at their timing, were these two listening in?

Amanda let Zack twirl her into him, a slow song on the radio, “This is our song.”

Baseball season, and now living under the Gomez roof, Zack didn’t get as much time to be a _boyfriend_ to a head cheerleader who was furiously preparing for finals. Tori considered just bailing on Zedd’s now, taking the hot girl out for a cool swim but…

As if knowing what she was thinking, Zack assured her, “We’ll clean up, lock up, and I can give you the keys at school tomorrow” He tilted his head, his eyebrows raising, _let me pay you back._ For Valentine’s Day, Tori had stayed late with Syd, given Zack money for the festival in town, she even weaseled her way into getting the couple a bottle of wine, one that wasn’t exactly cheap. Zack would never have the sort of money to pay her back, but he could give her this. _Time._

“He’s _really_ picky” Tori was still hesitant, if Zack messed up, or didn’t do anything thoroughly, this would come back and bite her.

“And I’ve been living with the Gomez family” That earned a light laugh from Z, someone who could understand and picture exactly how June Gomez would run a tight ship at home. “We _got_ this.” Zack held out his hand for Tori to hand over the keys to the kingdom, “Get out of here.”

What was life without taking chances? Tori was never one who was afraid of a little risk, and Z was risking _everything_ just to be around her. The surfer reached into her pocket and pulled out her keyring, taking off a silver key with a pink cap to remind her which key went where. “Do _not_ lose this.”

Zack made it a point to show her putting on the loose single key with the rest of his, “Go have fun.”

With a turn of her heel, Tori could put managing Zedd’s for the day behind her, she shook the remainder of her keys on her dolphin keychain, “I’ll drive.”

*****

Tori had two options on where to take Z, the residential lake that was well lit by and surrounded by some of the rich and wealthy of Angel Grove, _or_ the lake up in the mountains where her group of guys would sneak off to get fucked up. The forest provided the perfect location for teenagers at AGHS to get into trouble, couples would park their cars up there for the solitude, and the privacy to hook up. She knew it would be the perfect place to take Z for a late-night swim…as long as they didn’t run into park rangers, they’d be fine.

“I can’t be like your friends” Z started, glancing over to the blonde behind the wheel. They had to talk about this eventually…

“I’m not following.”

With a bit of a defeated sigh, the girl forced herself to stop looking out to the trees to avoid the issue they’d been dancing around for the past week, _“Out,_ Tori”

“Oh” Right. She should have guessed what that meant. Z couldn’t risk being like Trini Gomez, out and proud…kissing her girlfriend in the halls, holding Kimberly Hart’s hands for everyone to see. “That’s okay” After crashing and burning with Antonio so quickly, Tori was okay with taking things slow…taking more time for _them._

“You say that now but…” As close as she was to getting what she wanted, Z wasn’t sure what there could be here. How was this fair to Tori? “Maybe this is a bad idea.”

Tori glanced over to Z, the normally confident soccer player was so defeated already, it was hard to compare her situation to the likes of Gia Moran and Emma Goodall. Two teenagers with parents who were practically buzzing with excitement over two lifelong best friends finding love. The softball player reached over to hold the other girl’s hand, “Sometimes the _best_ things come out of a bad idea.”

“…That’s stupid…”

“Is it?” Tori squeezed her hand, “Well, here’s a life lesson for you…life’s a whole lotta _stupid. I’m_ a whole lotta stupid. We wouldn’t have popsicles or chips if people didn’t make mistakes and roll with ‘em”

Z squinted, “Those’re both _foods”_ So Tori liked to eat.

“Nothing would ever get made, or changed, or whatever if people don’t _try.”_ Tori had to turn her attention back to the dark windy road up ahead, “I’m not afraid to take a risk” She was the type of girl who never shied away from something because it was _difficult,_ or _hard._ “I’m not afraid to take a chance on _this.”_

When NinjastormX started to gain traction, popularity, the comments started flooding in. As the only girl in their x-games like channel, Tori was the target of thirsty guys. While that never bothered her, it started to affect Blake…he started to lose his temper more, jealousy would influence his actions. At first, it was cute in a way, how much he cared for her…how much he would fight for her. Until it _wasn’t_ cute. While Tori never felt like she was suffocating in her own home, she felt like she was trapped in her relationship…it all came to a point where it became too much. She broke it off but lost so much time in the process.

Antonio Garcia was a flight risk from the start. He never cared about her, she never cared about him past an attraction, a cheap thrill, a way to escape the loneliness they were feeling in their hearts. He was clearly not over Jayden Shiba and Tori…she wanted to have some fun with no strings attached. Antonio never looked at her the way Z Delgado did. This was different. New. Exciting. Sometimes it was about jumping into the deep end, Tori always lived by what felt right and right now her heart was beating for Z.

“So, I’m in” Tori continued, “Because I think there’s something here and…what’s stupid is giving up before we even get past the starting line” She didn’t want to give up because it might get hard down the line. Tori lived in the moment, reacting instead of planning for the future and rolling with whatever punches came her way.

“This is crazy” Z was still in disbelief. She started junior year with a crush on the girl sitting in front of her in class, she never _ever_ imagined that life would work out in a way where she would be _with_ her in her car. Z’s heart was thumping in her chest, her head spinning like a tornado thinking of what domino effect would happen if her parents caught wind of her kissing a girl at prom. “You’re really not phased by any of this? I have to _lie_ just to hang out with Syd…”

“S’not perfect, sure but…” Tori parked her jeep in the dirt lot by the lake, only one other car here, nice. “You play with the hand you’re dealt, who says a pair of threes can’t take the house?”

Now Tori was talking about _card games,_ and poker, _gambling._ “They’re not good odds.”

The blonde nodded in agreement, “No…and it’s not easy to win, you just have to know how to play your cards right.”

Poker was a game of lying, of bluffing, of reading another person. A pair of threes could win it all if a player could convince their opponent through misleading clues that they had a better hand. “I didn’t realize you were so freaking philosophical.”

“I think Lauren’s jargon’s been rubbing off on me” Tori admitted, resting her head back on her seat, “You hoping for a dumb blonde?”

“One of those is enough for me, thanks” Both girls could laugh, oh Sydney Drew. Z’s best friend wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box when it came to book smarts, but what she lacked in common sense she made up for in heart. These two wouldn’t be in the same car if the ditzy blonde didn’t have her hand in pulling the strings for her stubborn friend. “I just…dating me isn’t like...a walk in the park. I’m just slapping a disclaimer of realness on this. I’m not easy. My homelife…isn’t easy.”

“I know” Tori was able to gather enough just by their short time texting, that combo packed with Z only being able to go to gay prom for an hour. “So, we figure it out along the way” Maybe they had to lie about what they were to Z’s family, but that was blood. The softball girls, the soccer girls, there was nothing to hide around _them,_ people they trusted. “See what works”

All of that anxiety building up in Z was released with a heavy sigh, she didn’t want to let Tori slip through her fingers, not because of her parents. She would have to be careful, but if the blonde genuinely wanted to give this a try she’d jump off that cliff and see how it would shake out. Summer and Sydney, no matter what, would always have her back---she’d have a safety net. If she let her parents and fear take over, what else would she lose? Z watched so many NinjastormX videos wishing she could be more like Tori, wishing she could be _with_ Tori and now here she was…alone at a lake...with a girl who was willing to risk it all for her. “Okay”

“Now it’s my turn to sweep you off your feet” Tori rested a hand on Z’s cheek, closing the distance between them to place a soft, inviting kiss to her lips. A kiss to ignite something _new_ between them.

As if she were still a kid by the pool during fifteen-minute recess, Tori was always antsy to get back into the water. All she wanted to do with Z was to make her stance known, that she would be in it, if the other girl was willing to take that leap of faith with her. The surfer pulled away from the kiss first, her grin wide that excitement practically bubbled out of her body. “Meet you there” Z was still processing their lip lock while Tori was practically out the door and halfway to the lake, taking off her clothes as she went.

“Holy shit” Z was stunned, watching from the passenger seat as Tori took off her Zedd’s black polo. Unsurprisingly, underneath Tori wore a turquoise blue bra that the blonde reached back to unclip and _wow_ why the hell was still sitting in the jeep? Coming to the reality that she could be _with_ her and not gawking from the car, Z fumbled with getting the door open to follow her down to the water.

Off came Tori’s pants and the topless girl started to wade in the water, already deep enough in to tread backwards, by the time Z made it to the shoreline. “Whatcha waiting for Delgado?”

Z followed suit by taking off her shirt and shorts, she was prepared for _hot tubbing_ at the Landsdowns with a black bikini she showed off just how much the soccer girls went to the gym. Those legs…yeah, yeah there wasn’t a doubt in Tori’s mind that she was also attracted to girls. “You always this impatient, Hanson?”

“You always this slow?”

While Tori was a bit more _natural_ in the water, a surfer at heart was used to colder morning temperatures as that was one of the _best_ times to catch waves at the beach house, Z was _not._ “Holy _fuck_ is it cold!” Tori took enough Spanish and heard enough of the bad words to string together the obscenities Z started to mutter. This was _not_ a hot tub experience.

When Z finally got close enough, Tori was able to wade over to her, wrapping her arms around the girl to pull her close, “Let me warm you up” The blonde wanted to continue what she started in the car by leaning down to capture Z’s lips.

This wasn’t prom anymore with everyone watching to see what would happen between them. Z and Tori were finally alone, under the light of the stars to truly test out the waters of their chemistry. With the surfer being the better swimmer, it wasn’t long for Z to lock her legs around Tori’s waist, letting the strong softball player support her weight. They _wanted_ each other, bad, the tension building between them over late night texts since prom. Their kiss intensified, Z threading fingers through Tori’s wet hair, conveying everything they wanted without words. The soccer player harbored feelings for the blonde for so long, this was something she had dreamed of, fantasized of but never thought it would be possible.

The risks against them were sky high, with Z’s parents being their major roadblock but Z knew she would hate herself if she let her fear get in the way of taking that chance to be with the girl she liked so much. With the do or die mindset, Z wanted more, craved more contact. She reached behind her back to tear the knot of her bikini top off to truly feel Tori’s chest against hers without a tiny piece of damp fabric between them.

Maybe this would go somewhere, maybe it won’t, but they had to _try._

**Author's Note:**

> ;) to officially know where these two stand before we start the finale


End file.
